Pitch-pipe



W. KRATT.

PITCH PIPE.

APPLICATION FILED 1320.2, 1919.

1,366,735. Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

' |NVEPHOR I BY AT RNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM KRAT'I, OF NEW' BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY.

PITCH-PIPE.

Application filed December 2, 1919.

1 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM Kna'r'r, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Brunswick, county of Middlesex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pitch- Pipes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a pitch pipe for use by musicians and is particularly adapted to provide a pitch pipe for a number of dilierent tones or notes, and is also particularly adapted for tuning violins, mandolins and similar instruments.

' The invention is designed to provide a pitch pipe of this kind which is substan tially fiat so that it is easily carried in the vest pocket, and which is formed so that, without looking at the designation, and especially for use in places where the light is dim, the successive pipes or mouth pleces for the dillerent notes can be identified by the touch, whereby time is saved and unnecessary noises are minimized.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which I show a pitch pipe which is illustrated as producing four notes, but, of course, the number can be modified to suit difierent forms of pipes.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved pitch pipe. Fig. 2 is a top view of the pitch pipe shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

The casing of the pitch pipe is substantially long and flat and has a central fiat plate 10, which is provided with suitable openings 11, adjacent to which the reeds 12 are placed. The top plate 13 is usually made of sheet metal and is struck up so as to provide the end walls 14, the front wall 15 and the rear wall 16, the rear wall 16 being provided with outlets for air, in the form I shown these being provided on the top, as

The top plate is provided with flanges 18 at the end, and the bottom plate has s1milar flanges 19, all the plates being secured by suitable bolts or rivets 20. The bottom plate 19 is provided with indented portions 21 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

Serial No. 341,927.

forming channels 22, each channel being arranged under a reed.

In the form shown the top plate is provided with identifying stamped or punched letters 23 to indicate the string that the note corresponds with. It will be evident that the raised spaced portions 21 usually are in contact with the thumb of the hand that holds the pitch pipe and the reeds can be identified by the touch, since they are usually arranged in the same order as the strings on the instrument that is to be tuned. This makes it unnecessary, in dimly lighted or dark places, to be able to see the identify ing marks because the thumb can be used to pick out the first, second, third or fourth channel quickly.

V1 hen lightly blown each reed is sounded positively so as to be sharply heard, and two of the reeds can be blown simultaneously, if desired, and furthermore, in view of the difi'erent channels in the bottom plate leading to the reed where the air enters, and with the large recessed space above the reeds where the air passes out, an emphatic reproduction, under a strong pressureof air, of one reed over the pipe that is being blown is caused.

It will be evident that slight changes of form can be made in the pitch pipe without departing from the scope of my invention.

I claim:

A pitch pipe comprising a sheet metal top with marginal flanges to form walls, the rear wall being provided with openings, a flat central plate on which the top plate rests, a bottom plate of sheet metal which has a set of trouglrshaped depressions terminating short of the back thereof and extending to the front edge, these depressions forming exterior ribs for identification by touch, the central plate having openings, each opening in the central plate being in line with a depression and also with an opening in the top plate, and a reed over each opening in the central plate.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing,

I have hereto set my hand, this 29th day of November, 1919.

- WILLIAM KRATT. 

